Three Fab Weeks in Turkey
Here’s a copy of the over-effusive group email I sent around after my Turkey trip. I’ll get around to copying in some photos sometime…
Merhaba!
YEE HA! Turkey turned out to be an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC place and I CAN’T RAVE ENOUGH ABOUT IT!!! I love the country AND the people! It’s a beautiful country, from the magnificent coastlines to the snow-capped mountains and the arid deserts (in many places it reminded me a lot of Oz). The people are sooooooo incredibly friendly it’s almost hard to believe: help if you need it, lifts even if it’s not on their way, and I even got a few invites to stranger’s houses for a meal!
Arriving in Istanbul, I caught an overnight bus down to the Gallipoli Peninsula in preparation for Anzac Day (25th April, in case you didn’t know!!!). The towns were chockers with Aus and NZ backpackers so at night it was a huge party at the “happening” night spots, the Vegemite and Downunder Bars (uh, am I still in Turkey…?). Spent a few days around the battlefields and war cemeteries which was both interesting and very sobering. It was an incredible experience being on the same ground as the Anzacs 84 years ago: Lone Pine, The Nek, The Sphinx, Anzac Cove, Shrapnel Valley, Quinn’s Post, etc.
Everyone got in a few hours kip before getting up at around 1am for the Dawn Service. Catching a ferry across the Dardanelles, we arrived the Air Burnu (Anzac Cove) cemetery about 3am with about 7,000 other Aussies, Kiwis and Turks. A few of the drunk dickheads tried their best to ruin it for everyone – I saw gravestones used as headrests and ashtrays and garden beds trampled on (and apparently it was all much better than last year!). It’s the last year they’re doing it at Anzac Cove because the crowds are too big so, so I was glad to be there for the last. Even a few famous faces in the crowd – turned around and found I was sitting in front of the author Bryce Courtenay! Dawn Service was magical with a beautiful sunrise and a really moving ceremony (great speech by the GG) and yes, a few tears were shed. Afterwards was the Turkish ceremony at their memorial, and then the Aust service at the Lone Pine Cemetery, which was a highlight of the day for me. Finally in the arvo was the Kiwi service at Ari Burnu to wrap up a long but really memorable day.
From there I moved down the Aegean Coast, to the lovely quiet seaside village of Assos for some R&R and then on to the ruins of Pergamum. There I also experienced my first Turkish Bath – it’s soooo relaxing with the steamy moist air, sunlight pouring through the small holes in the mosque-like domed roof, olf marble surroundings and a bone-cracking 30 min massage (this old timer was even standing on my back!) and rough scrubbing (all for the value price of $8!!!). I reckon I need one about once a week now! Next tp on the agenda were the ruins of Ephesus at Selçuk, the best preserved Roman city around. Definitely ruined out by the end…
Also popped over to have a look at the hot springs at Pamukkale, which used to be renown for being able to swim in hot natural calcium rock pools on the side of the mountain. They’re now closed for “repairs” (ie. because they look like shit), but it was still great fun to swim in the old hot springs in amongst Roman ruins and columns of the baths that used to be there.
From Selçuk I was coaxed into going down to the Mediterranean Coast (in the south) for a 3-day cruise around the coves, bays, islands and beaches (gee. hard decision…) with 16 other absolutely mad Aussies and Kiwis. We met in Fethiye and chartered a big yacht. The three day cruise became four because we were having such a great time: the mud baths at Dalyan, Lycian rock-cut tombs, Cleopatra’s Bath, St Nicholas Islands, beautiful Ölüdeniz and Butterfly Valley to name a few. It was really weird being able to look up from the boat while you’re getting a tan under the sun and seeing snow-capped mountains fright near the coast. Oh, and of course we drank a shit-load of ber!!!!!! We slept up on deck ‘cos the weather was so mild, didn’t have to lift a finger for meals except to get another drink, and the whole lot cost only £48!!!! Happy With That.
Unfortunately it had to end, but my next stop (after 14 hrs on a bus!) was the amazing underground dwellings around Göreme. These people went underground centuries ago to escape the screaming hordes of armies that used to charge across the country, and they still live there now! It was great to explore the valleys of the “moonscape” (in fact they even filmed a bit of Star Wars there), climbed through the tunnels and explore old rock-cut churches. Had a squiz through and 85m deep 8-level city for 10,000 people that you could have a scramble through, and also walked the beautiful 16km long Ihlara Gorge dotted with rock churches and monasteries in the cliff faces.
Last stop on my magical mystery tour was Istanbul (or Constantinople or Byzantium), which is easily still one of the great cities of the world. I arrived at dawn on the Asian (east) side of the Bosphorous (the water connecting the Black Sea to the outside world), and caught a ferry across to the European (west) side – the “classical” way to see Istanbul for the first time. It was beautiful with all the mosques around the city, the Golden Horn, the Topkapi Palace (Sultan’s Palace) on the hill above, and the continual sound of the call to prayer. Wow!! Spent a great few days touring the Palace, the famous 2,000 y.o. church of Sancta Sophia (HUUUUGE!), the Blue Mosque, getting a Turkish shave to get rid of 2 1/2 weeks of growth (hey, that’s a lot for me!), squeezing in a final bath, buying up big in the covered Grand Bazaar etc etc etc.
In all a great trip and a great country. And to top it off, it’s fucking dirt cheap there too!!! Definitely go if you can, and no, it wasn’t dangerous at all for anyone concerned.
Anyway, I think I’ve waffled long enough so I’ll finish up. I suppose after 20 days holiday it’s about time I did some work! Hope you’re all well. Thanks for your emails. Take care out there!
Allaha ismaladik,
Paul.